Florida

Wheelchair Basketball Coach Makes a Difference in South Florida

Luis Amaro, unlike most of the kids he coaches in basketball, wasn't always paralyzed.

"Sure enough -- once I didn't let them speak to my sister, they shot at me six times," Amaro recalled to NBC 6.

In 1999, a gang-related incident changed the trajectory of his life forever, but that didn't keep him away from his love of basketball -- so he joined a wheelchair basketball team.

Amaro played basketball for over a decade. But he didn't only want to improve his rebound, so he transitioned over to coach for the Fort Lauderdale Junior Sharks wheelchair team.

"It's been an amazing experience," Amaro said.

Now he spends Sundays coaching the first junior team to be sanctioned by the National Wheelchair Basketball Association in the state of Florida.

"I call them kids with exceptional-ities, I don't say disabilities," Amaro said.

Amaro is also an ambassador for Sunday's Wings of Life World Run, a marathon in Sunrise for the benefit of spinal cord research. He also won first place in the wheelchair division three years in a row.

He's making a difference in kids' lives by showing them that no obstacle is too high to overcome.

NBC 6 is a proud media sponsor for the Wings for Life World Run. Click here for more information.

The FTL Junior Sharks is also looking to raise funds to travel for tournaments. Click here to find out more.

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